I am disappointed to say that Richard Greene, the subject of one of my blog entries a few days ago, was appointed chair of the Buncombe County Board of Education last Thursday.
In June, he said he would do research over the summer about the idea, and he even told me, “I do not understand why the other board members are so resistant to the idea.”
In August, he was the first board member to speak after the public comment session. He denounced the proposal from left to right. What a surprising turn of events!
His appointment as chair is almost a sure guarantee that formal student representation and formalized student voice will not be in place on the school board for this term.
According to the results of the 2006 Kids Voting program, 55% of the participating students residing in his district DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM. While that is a relatively small margin (10%), the students who were concerned enough to vote, even though they knew their votes would not affect the actual election, did not want him as their school board representative. School board elections and the decisions of the school board affect students more than any other group of constituents, and their voice must be heard.
As you are aware, my project to add a student adviser has a lot of support from the public. Over 60 teachers from my school alone signed a letter of support; the Asheville Citizen-Times officially supported the idea; and countless others, including public officials, throughout the county supported it.
However, despite all of this, the school board chose to officially ignore their constituents - which also includes the county’s students - in August.
A wonderful thread has started in the NYRA forums that I think deserves some more exposure. It asks the question of what us youth rights supporters felt about ageism and youth rights before our eyes were opened, and while the opening post didn’t ask it, I think the natural question follows of how our eyes were opened.
Our true purpose here as youth rights supporters is to open eyes. It is central to our existence and vital for our success. The process can be rather difficult and stories like the ones below give us a great look into the mind of an ageist, i.e. a regular person, and also how that switch was made in their world view that led them to embrace youth rights.
Any of you ever used to have ageism-related mindsets before reading about youth rights? I did, but I saw it with skepticism at first rather than brushing it off. I took a look at various youth rights websites when I was about 13-14 disagreeing with many of the things I read. I eventually started to believe in YR when I read a lot more into it and gave it a chance.
I didn’t know ageism existed, so I didn’t really have an opinion until I was fusoiehed off by homework and teachers punishing students just for talking back. Then I thought the audio-player ban at my school had no real purpose. After all, several students brought guitars to school, without problems, but they can’t have their 3PM (study hall) MP3’s?
I also didn’t know ageism existed… but teachers get evil, so idecided to google my rights. I found this site through that search. I’ve been an active member since
I always felt something was wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I just went along with it until I found this website while doing research on mall curfews. Best Google search of my life.
I used to subscribe to that schoolchild I’m-older-so-I’m-better stuff. Still do, but to a far lesser extent, and I do at least try to stop myself.
I found NYRA through a search on the voting age. That was about a year and a half after my first interest in that. Six months later, I subscribed to the mailing list, I joined to forums, and I made my first donation a week or so after that.
I found the NYRA site while researching different positions on the drinking age for a final project paper in AP English last year. That issue opened my eyes to youth rights and led me to NYRA (which was a great resource, by the way).
I didn’t really check out the forums until about six months later and have only had enough time to get on them in the last few months.
I always felt that youth get walked on way more than any other group, but it was NYRA that got me motivated enough to start a chapter() and actually DO something() about the shit we take.
I was ageist once I guess, but I was very little, and didn’t really understand. Once I saw my mom’s 14 year old cousin smoking, and I think I was about 7. “Hey, you can’t smoke that!” “Why not?” “You aren’t 18!” She just laughed, but I would have deserved it if she had hit me in my face.
I’ll post more in the days to come. I really think this is absolutely vital to examine for all of us. If you have thoughts and experiences to share, please post a comment (or post a full entry if you have plenty to say).
A few weeks ago, I posted a thread on the NYRA forums (http://www.youthrights.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9078) about a curfew in a village near me for the nights of October 30 and 31. However, unlike most curfews, this one takes effect at 7 PM and affects everyone under 19. In light of the blatant disregard for the rights of young people, this issue was taken on by my school’s new Youth Rights Club. I e-mailed the mayor of the village to get more information, and the club began simultaneously sending around a petition, which got almost 200 signatures. Not bad for three or four days.
We had a change of plans when the mayor graciously invited us to the November 27th meeting of the village’s board of trustees. Given almost an entire month more to prepare, we held off on submitting the petition and set about turning our hastily prepared petition cover letter into a well-researched, strong speech to give at the meeting. After three weeks of revisions and research on the text of the law (which included such youth rights friendly phrases as “suffer the presence of minors”) and the reasons for its enactment (which we never found out entirely during the meeting.
Finally, the day came. After sitting through at least an hour of exceedingly boring, small-town lawmaking (there was about half an hour of heated debate over restaurants distributing plastic forks with take-out), we were asked to speak. Seeing the extremely informal atmosphere at the meeting, we quickly re-worded our very formal speech as we talked. After we were finished, the mayor and one of the four trustees set about trying to tear apart our argument.
Both were very careful to say that they didn’t think the curfew was perfect, a step forward, but they said that in the eighteen years it has been law, there has never been Halloween vandalism within the village (how much there was before is still under debate.) After about 45 minutes of animated discussion, they told us to wrap it up (it was already 10:00 and some of us had physics tests the next day.) They weren’t convinced to repeal the law, but they told us that if we came back with either a compromise curfew or an alternate method to eliminate vandalism, they would consider it. The village attorney also informed us that the curfew was constitutional according to all legal precedents available when it was written (by him) in 1988, but asked us to let him know if we knew of any more recent precedents that might change this.
After much griping that lawmaking is their job and not ours, our club met and proposed a number of ideas, which we discussed and refined in a later meeting. As of the last meeting, several of our members are out writing the text of proposals or formal laws representing our suggestions.
I also did some research Monday night on legal precedents for curfews and discovered that there were indeed a number of new cases since 1988. I printed out two that seemed vary relevant because of the similarity between those curfews and this one. We looked over them at the meeting, and decided to drop them off at village hall as soon as possible so that they could look over them even before we have our suggestions.
Hello all, long time no blog. Anyway, today class, we shall examine youth rights abuse in the form of Entertainment Industry Age Restrictions:
As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and it is these intentions that I have a problem with. Organizations such as the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) seek to rate the content in their genres, those being Film and Games respectively. And it is not the harmless rating that I take issue with, but both the pressure tactics used by the associations to mandate their ratings, and the way they are formed. These two rating organizations not only arbitrarily rate content, but try to push their views upon the distributors of said content.
Unlike the Televisions Ratings System, which rates programs, but in deference to free speech doesn’t outright restrict who can view them, the MPAA and the ERSB have restrictions on content they deem unacceptable. These arbitrary restrictions infringe on both the rights of a portion of the consumer (those below the mandated age limit) and on the rights of the parent or guardian to individually raise their offspring. The MPAA has made it a de facto requirement to conform to their rating system, by compelling the major motion picture studios to submit all their films for rating under fear of membership loss. Also, it is made a near-legal requirement for motion picture theaters to check IDs and gives them reason to deny admittance to age groups in regards to R and NC-17 pictures.
In fact, the NC-17 rating is an infringement on parental rights because even if a parent wanted to take their teenager to one, they would not be allowed. The ESRB rates games that they view as having “strong language” or “sexual content” as being mature, and thusly that they should not be sold to minors at all without parental presence and consent. These rating systems allow/force stores to “comply” and deny those under arbitrary age barriers the right to purchase as they please. The right to property is focal in The Lockesian Social Contract, upon which the ideals of our nation are constructed, and the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness is enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, authored by President Thomas Jefferson. Yet these natural rights are constricted by these out-dated and arbitrary rating systems.
I am by no means against content descriptors for the purposes of making decisions but creating de facto restrictions, or even making de jure ones as the Family Entertainment Protection Act co-sponsored by Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh, and Tim Johnson, is simply a travesty and an appalling affront to the American system and to free speech. In the name of self-determination, freedom, and progress, the MPAA and the ESRB ratings must be made de jure only that, ratings on content and guidelines for youth and parents.
As an outside group unfamiliar with Gallaudet University and the deaf community it is inappropriate for us to comment on what does or does not make a good president of the university. Those most qualified to decide what makes a good president are members of Gallaudet itself, its administration, its faculty, and most especially its students. So we do not presume to speak for or on behalf of the Gallaudet community, however for what its worth we do offer our support to the student protesters.
As students and young people we do hope our perspective is valued as to the process of selecting a university president and the legitimate inclusion of student voices in that process. A process that is critically flawed at all levels of schooling in this country. Whether by Boards of Trustees or Boards of Education, student voices, opinions and expertise are being ignored and silenced by the very bodies most responsible for their education. This we feel is unacceptable.
Observing the situation from the outside, it seems clear that the mischaracterization of the student protesters in the media and in the public is indicative of a larger disdain for students and young people throughout society. Despite plainly stated and well reasoned objections to Dr. Fernandes’ appointment the student opposition has been characterized as being from a bunch of whiney kids throwing a tantrum about whether Dr. Fernandes was “deaf enough”. Or charges that the students were militantly obstructing a fair, democratic process.
These widely held views express the fear in adult society of young people raising their voices and refusing to be silent, and the ignorance of adult society of the current lack of student voice and the need for it.
We applaud the reversal of Gallaudet’s Board of Trustees decision to terminate Dr. Fernandes’ appointment, but recognize the struggle won’t be over until structural changes are made that include substantive student voices at all levels of university decision making.
Sincerely,
Scott Davidson
President
National Youth Rights Association
Adam King
Vice President
National Youth Rights Association
Alex Koroknay-Palicz
Executive Director
National Youth Rights Association
Many counselors will tell you, “Become involved in as many extracurricular activities as you can. Colleges love to see that.” On the other hand, some will tell you to focus your time and energy on just one or two clubs because it shows commitment.
Extracurricular activities, such as clubs, provide a great way to enhance your understanding of material covered in class, become involved in the school and community, and yes, to also pad your college resume.
Participation in some sort of extracurricular activity is clearly important. Whether colleges want to see participation in many clubs or just a few is debatable, but here is my suggestion: Pick one or two clubs that you are most interested in, and then become an active member. Try to go to as many events as possible, and definitely go ahead and pay the $5 or $10 it takes to become an official member of the club. After a year or two of involvement, your hard work will show off. Other members will realize what you have been doing, and if you run for officer elections, you have a good chance at being elected.
Beside the advantage of becoming a more rounded candidate for colleges, your time at school will become more enjoyable. You will meet new people, and you will explore different things you have probably never seen before.
I am personally involved in three clubs (member of Student Council and Spanish Club and secretary of HOSA); I write a regular guest column for my school’s newspaper; I am on the school’s School Improvement Team; and I have several other things going on outside of school, such as supervising junior volunteers at Mission Hospitals. I also chose to do National History Day, a large research project, this year, and I am currently reviewing a 120-page manuscript for a friend. In addition, I am still trying to increase student involvement in the local government, and I am currently serving as the Vice President of a moderately large nonprofit organization based out of Washington, D.C.
I am committed to all of the above, and therefore, I sometimes find my time very limited. However, I enjoy doing all of these things, and it has really helped me in so many ways.
Many of you will recall the experiences I have had with Richard Greene, the Reynolds Representative on the Buncombe County Board of Education, back in June and August when I was working to add a student adviser onto the school board. In June, he said he would do research over the summer about the idea, and he even told me, “I do not understand why the other board members are so resistant to the idea.”
In August, he was the first board member to speak after the public comment session. He denounced the proposal from left to right. What a surprising turn of events!
It was a relief for me that former chair Jim Edmonds and Roger Aiken were not running for re-election. And many people I know did not want Greene to be re-elected.
He was re-elected with a clear lead during the regular election on November 7. Source.
Richard Greene - 22,592 (64%)
Sam Banks - 12,337 (35%)
Write In - 124
However, the other day, I was looking at the results from the Kids Voting program. Source.
Sam Banks - 1182
Richard Greene - 1107
Write In - 168
While the results from the Kids Voting program do not actually affect the actual election, it shows that the teenagers and youth (the students who are affected every day by the school board’s decisions) do not want Richard Greene as their school board representative.
Some of my friends jokingly say that most of the write in votes were for me. While that is obviously not true, I think that my widely-supported project to add a student adviser onto the school board has given me a lot of recognition in the area and perhaps has influenced some of my fellow students.
The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution sets the federal voting age at 18 years old. Before this Amendment was enacted, the voting age in most places was 21 years of age. The voting age should again be lowered; this time, to 16 years of age.
According to a recent study, 80% of 16- and 17-year-olds work at some point before they graduate. Both income taxes and FICA taxes are withheld from working teenagers’ earnings every year, but they do not have any representation in the government. The idea of “no taxation without representation” was a key issue in the American Revolutionary War in the 1700s.
In many states, including North Carolina, a 16-year-old can drive alone and be tried as an adult for serious crimes. Although the penal system can punish teenagers like adult criminals, mature and responsible teens are still not given the right to vote.
In North Carolina, all high school students are required to complete a course covering civics and economics. Furthermore, even though there are many ignorant adult voters, they are still arbitrarily given the right to vote.
College-bound teenagers are preparing for college, and to do so, many elect to participate in several community service events during their free time. These teenagers are active in their communities, and they are helping others in need.
It is time to stop the constant discrimination against teenagers, and giving them the right to vote would be a step in the right direction.
Age of Reason is a group blog for the National Youth Rights Association, maintained by our members to help educate and inform the public about youth rights.
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